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These Tech Stocks Doubled Out of the Blue in 2012

Some sudden jumps were years in the making. Others, a split-second roll of the dice.

2012 wasn't exactly a banner year for tech stocks. Some of the industry's biggest names crashed hard as consumers and corporations adjusted their computing habits. Most of the early winners stumbled later in the year. But a handful of stocks ignored the trend and more than doubled last year. Here's a tasty sample of the 16 big winners I found.

You'll notice that three of these four soaring stocks earned CAPS scores ranging from "decent" to "very good." All three have held perfect five-star scores in the last six months, losing that distinction as their share prices flew sky-high.

Vringo is a totally different beast. A longtime favorite of stock market speculators, the company has made its core business of video ringtone technologies irrelevant by filing a few high-profile patent lawsuits. Judges and juries have largely sided with Vringo so far, which explains the spiking stock price. But it's anyone's guess whether the verdict will hold up on appeal, or if there's any business value to speak of beyond this unpredictable legal strategy. Hence, long-term investors wouldn't touch Vringo with a five-foot rake in 2013, earning the stock an ignoble one-star CAPS rating.